Everything to Lose
by Marbear 66
Summary: Everyone knows Mike wants revenge for Deirdre's death, but Mike has never really stopped to think about all he still has to lose.


A/N: This is an idea I got for a story after seeing the preview for the season finale. It takes place from when Mike is holding the gun, saying "I know what you did to her." I can only assume he's talking to Paul, and since I don't know what leads up to this scene, I'm going to basically take it from just before that line. Obviously, this will probably be way off base, and Paul is going to be way more evil and threatening in this story. I also want to thank all of my reviewers for "An Unexpected Delivery," I appreciate it, and there will be an update very soon, as I'm battling writer's block.

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Mike Delfino walked along the path in the park, his gaze fixed on Paul Young's car in front of him. His eyes narrowed as he watched Paul Young climb out and turn away from him, heading for the trees. Mike quickened his pace and withdrew his gun from his back pocket. Without pausing, he released the safety, pointed the gun at Paul's head, and spoke.

"I know what you did to her," he growled. Paul Young froze in his steps, paused, and turned around with an inquisitive smile on his face.

"What I did to who, Mike?" he asked politely as his sinister grin grew.

"What you did to Deirdre."

"I'm sorry, should I know who that is?" Paul asked, his face darkening.

"I _know_ you killed her. I know you chopped her up and stuffed her in a toy chest 15 years ago."

"Do you?"

"What I want to know is why. Tell me why you did it," Mike demanded, stepping closer to Paul, who stood his ground.

"Ok. So you know what I did to Deirdre. Why I did it doesn't really matter. The real question is…" Paul replied, taking a step towards his car. "Do you know what I'm going to do to Susan?" Mike froze as he felt his stomach drop, and his head spun as panic started to set in. Paul tilted his head and clucked his tongue. "No? Don't know? Here, allow me to show you," he said. Mike watched as Paul walked to the trunk of his car, opened it, and reached inside. He forcefully pulled a bound and gagged Susan from the car and made her stand beside him. The terror in Susan's eyes made Mike's heart break, and his anger and hatred for Paul Young more than doubled.

"You bastard," he spat, his hand shaking as he re-aimed the gun at Paul. "Let her go."

"Oh, but Mike," Paul began, the evil smile reappearing on his face. "You didn't let me tell you what I have planned for her." Paul stepped closer to Susan and brushed her hair off her forehead as she whimpered through the gag. Mike made a step toward him, but Paul quickly pulled a knife from his back pocket and placed it under Susan's throat. "I don't think so, Mike. You just stay right there." Paul circled around Susan, keeping the knife dangerously near her throat. "You see, Mike, 15 years ago, your precious Deirdre tried to take something from me. I couldn't let her, so I stopped her. But you missed the show. So now, I'm going to do the same thing to Susan. First I'm going to kill her, and then I'm going to chop her up into pieces. And I'm going to do it all right in front of you," Paul explained, his eyes wild.

"You so much as touch her, and I swear to God," Mike warned, but Paul laughed.

"You'll what? Kill me? You should've done that already. We both know you're not going to do anything while I have this knife near Susan," Paul replied, shaking his head. "Besides," he continued, "I'm already touching her." Paul smirked maliciously at Mike as he ran his hand down Susan's side, and she shuddered. Mike looked at Susan, truly terrified for the first time. She meant more to him than anything. Suddenly, Susan shifted and her hand flew towards Paul, but he caught her wrist and yanked it backwards, twisting it until Susan let out a muffled scream of pain. "That was a mistake, Susan," Paul growled, forcing her arm back into the rope that had held it, and tightened the rope until it cut into Susan's wrists, making her scream again.

"You son of a bitch, I'll tear you apart!" Mike screamed, lunging at Paul and knocking him to the ground. The two men fought for a brief moment, before Paul delivered a surprise blow to the side of Mike's head, stunning him. This gave Paul a chance to scramble to his feet and replace the knife at Susan's throat.

"Another mistake, Mike, it'll cost you," Paul replied, replacing the knife at Susan's throat. "Let's see…should I cut her throat first, or start slowly by just cutting off pieces, bit by bit?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you couldn't leave well enough alone. If you had just let the past die, none of this would be happening. But Susan has it coming to her. Prying into my life, finding out things that are none of her business."

"Just let her go, this is between you and me."

"No, here's what we're going to do. You're going to let me get into my car and drive away, and in return, I'll let Susan go. You'll never see me again," Paul explained.

"No. I'm not just going to let you go," Mike protested.

"Let me make this more clear for you, then," Paul growled, pressing the knife into Susan's neck, and she whimpered. "All it takes is one jerk of my arm, and she's dead. If you love her, you'll drop the gun and let me leave," Paul finished, fixing Mike with his stare. Mike looked at Susan, who had squeezed her eyes shut and was shaking. The decision was simple, and he threw the gun down at his feet. Paul smirked. "You made the right decision, Mike," he said, shoving Susan roughly toward him. Mike instantly pulled her into his arms, but her knees weakened and she dropped to the ground, taking Mike with her. He gently removed the gag from her mouth and pressed his lips to hers, covering her face with kisses.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, working to release her arms from their ties. Susan nodded as tears escaped her eyes and she leaned into Mike gratefully. Paul Young watched them for a brief moment, then climbed into his car, backing it up so it sat next to Mike and Susan. As Mike released Susan from her ties, Paul rolled down the passenger window and pulled a gun from the floor of the car, holding it on his lap.

"Oh, and Mike?" Paul called out the window. Mike and Susan both lifted their heads from each other and looked at Paul. "Just to make sure you don't come after me," Paul continued, then quickly lifted the gun and fired it, shooting Susan in the chest, then screeched away in his car. Mike gaped at the wound in Susan's chest, which was bleeding freely. Tears came to his eyes as Susan gasped for air, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

"No, no, no, Susan, stay with me," he pleaded, pulling her close to him and kissing her repeatedly. Susan briefly focused her eyes on Mike, and she managed to smile softly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, _so much_," Mike replied, tears pouring down his face. Susan nodded her head slightly before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went limp in Mike's arms. "No, baby, no, don't do this," Mike said, shaking her. "Stay awake." When Susan didn't respond, Mike knew he had little time, and certainly not enough time to wait for an ambulance. Lifting Susan into his arms, he broke into a run, headed back to his car. Once he reached his truck, he gently placed Susan in the car, then screeched away, headed for the hospital. If Susan died, he didn't know what he would do.

_TBC..._

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By the way...Desperate Housewives officially frustrates me...


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